The last few years have been a purple patch for Enslaved. The Norwegian band have grown from their early black metal days into a progressive metal powerhouse with its emphasis on Viking themes which culminated in the excellent ‘Utgard’ album last year and now Enslaved have returned with ‘Caravans to the Outer Worlds’, their latest EP.
Once again, ‘Caravans…’ is the sound of Enslaved flexing their musical muscle. This is a band that are massively talented, they are masters at crafting musical landscapes that pull the listener into their world of pre-Christendom Norway. The title track and ‘Ruun II – The Epitaph’ give the listener every bit of what Enslaved are capable of with the band splicing progressive metal in with an old-school black metal sound. However, it is the ‘Intermezzo’s here which really stand tall, these short bursts of interlude create the sonic soundscape and truly immerse the listener by being brutally raw one minute to sombre and searching the next, showing that the band don’t even need lyrics to drive a story forward.
Clocking in at just over 18 minutes, ‘Caravans…’ is a triumph of an EP. Sure, it won’t appeal to anyone outside of the Enslaved world, but for Enslaved fans, it is an excellent addition their catalogue.
